About Dhiresh R. Jeyarajah, MD
Dr. D. Rohan Jeyarajah is a well-respected hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) and complex GI surgeon who has been practicing in the DFW area since 1996. He currently serves as the inaugural chair and professor of surgery at the TCU Burnett School of Medicine and the program director for the Hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) and Complex Gastrointestinal Surgical Fellowships at Methodist Health System.
Nationally known for his research on education, technical nuances to pancreatic surgery, and innovative outcomes, Dr. Jeyarajah has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and 15 book chapters. He serves in many national leadership roles, including as a director on the American Board of Surgery, president-elect of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, and past executive member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Jeyarajah was on faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center before joining Methodist. He knows the importance of having all three components of a successful HPB program — clinical excellence, research, and education. He has built these three pillars into the program at Methodist, including student, resident, and fellowship training and a very busy clinical program.
Through his leadership, both Methodist Dallas Medical Center and Methodist Richardson Medical Center achieved certification from The Joint Commission in pancreatic surgery and HPB surgery. Methodist Richardson was also the pilot site for a new program from the American College of Surgeons involving high-risk GI surgery.
In his practice, Dr. Jeyarajah treats a wide range of GI and HPB conditions. For pancreatic cancer, he specializes in both robotic and open approaches for surgical resection. He also offers both minimally invasive and open approaches for liver tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic colorectal cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma. He’s a pioneer in the use of y90 radius spheres, which increase liver resection ability.
As a thought leader in chronic and acute pancreatitis, he has written several manuscripts describing novel operative techniques for the management of chronic pancreatitis. He also leads a multidisciplinary group that manages the treatment of acute necrotizing pancreatitis.
In gastric, gastric esophageal junction, and esophageal cancer, he uses a multidisciplinary approach — working closely with medical oncology, radiation oncology, and gastroenterology to optimize outcomes for these difficult conditions. As part of a high-volume center for esophagectomy, he uses a minimally invasive robotic approach for most of these surgeries. The ability to perform both esophagectomy and gastrectomy allows his team to be more aggressive in appropriate cases, rather than involving multiple different surgical teams.
Dr. Jeyarajah is a pioneer in radiation-sparing regimens for rectal cancer. He has been an early adopter of the PROSPECT Trial data, which showed that chemotherapy alone in select patients can result in a low risk of local recurrence when combined with appropriate surgical techniques — typically robotic approaches.
He also treats endocrine disorders, including parathyroid, thyroid, and adrenal disorders, working closely with anesthesiology to treat functional tumors of the adrenal gland. Well-versed in preoperative alpha-blockade in patients with pheochromocytoma, he carefully works with cardiologists and other specialists to care for these patients before surgery.
One of Dr. Jeyarajah’s fortes is the treatment of retroperitoneal tumors that require vascular resections. Retroperitoneal liposarcoma and other large tumors often need aggressive techniques, including resection of the vena cava and other key structures. He works closely with vascular colleagues to provide appropriate care in these cases.
Dr. Jeyarajah’s thoughtful approach and forward-thinking treatment of complex conditions provide patients in the DFW area with access to some of the most advanced treatments in the nation in the field of HPB and GI surgery.
